Part 2: The Wedding

Thursday, November 5, 2009

On August 14th, 2008, Aaron and I got engaged at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. We had talked about getting engaged in December '08, so I wasn't expecting it until then. Needless to say, I was so very surprised when Aaron asked me to marry him on that day. The funny thing about that day, though, was that we had dinner plans that evening with one of Aaron's childhood friends and his parents. Aaron wanted to go to Cheekwood to "take pictures" and I was not happy about that as we didn't have enough time. I didn't talk to Aaron the whole way there. I was surprised that he kept insisting that we were going as, if I am that adamant about something, he will hear me out. But he wasn't this time. In the end, I was one very happy woman.

My whole senior year of college was spent planning the wedding. We decided on July 25th, 2009 as the day we would be married. I had a ton of help from family and friends. They searched for churches and made so many visits. They looked for reception locations and made so many visits to these places, too. They helped me find my wedding dress, hand make some of the decorations (like the chandeliers you will see later), and helped me get everything set up the day before the wedding. It was such a crazy year, but it made it made it even more special.

My goal with the wedding was for it to truly reflect Aaron and I and to not do the same thing everyone else does for their weddings. I was okay with the church being decorated a bit understated as the sanctuary itself was gorgeous. I didn't want my hair to be fussy. I wanted to look the way I usually do. I didn't want Aaron to not recognize me on our wedding day, but to see the girl he sees everyday.

The day of the wedding, I was much more calm than I thought I would be. Even after getting ready and having my pictures taken, I was calm. Up until the moment I was about to walk down that aisle, I was calm. I got a few butterflies right before I went down, but that was only because I was worried I would say the wrong thing, or trip or something.

The whole ceremony went off without any problems. It went by so fast. But I enjoyed it. I think that's all that matters.

With every wedding there is always stories about things that happen that people remember. With our wedding, we will always remember the Monday before the wedding Brenda, Aaron's mom, having to have emergency eye surgery. She is fully healed now and we are so thankful. God was so good to us during that time. She was able to come to the Bridal Luncheon, the Rehearsal Dinner, and the Wedding. Then there are the smaller things, like the hook on the back of my dress not being there on the day of the wedding. It had come undone and fallen off at some point. Tiffany (my day of coordinator) had to sew me into my dress. Also, one of my flower girls, Sophie (my cousin), almost didn't go down the aisle. She cried on and off during the hour before the wedding. She said she was scared. And, in her defense, that had been the first time she was a flower girl. I think at four years old, I would have been a bit scared, too. But she made it! I was so proud.

I had the most fun at our reception. It was so good to be with our friends from high school and college again. And to be in the same place with all of them was the best! I danced more that I ever did at a prom. It was such a fun evening. It was a bit hot :), but I didn't care.

It was a day that we will both remember forever. I could not have been any happier with how it went. It was a beautiful day and we are truly blessed by our awesome God!

The Inspiration Board

Thursday, February 26, 2009

So, I have finally put together an inspiration board for the wedding. I have been gathering images as I read wedding blogs and from my other random searches for inspiration. So here you go. I hope that it meets everyone's expectations and I hope the actual wedding comes out to be even more beautiful. 

Also, I promise a more personal post is coming soon. I actually started writing one last Thursday night and got so tired I couldn't finish it. Very soon! Promise. It has been super busy around here and will be until I get on a plane next Thursday! 

The Wedding: Bridesmaid Dresses 2

Friday, February 13, 2009

Hello my beautiful girls! I just want to say how truly blessed I am to have you in my life and to have you standing beside me on July 25th. Below are the dresses I like the best from David's Bridal. What I would like to do as far as the bridesmaids dresses go is to hopefully have everyone in a different dress. I like that look better than all the bridesmaids in the same dress, plus you can pick a dress you might wear again or at least something you will feel comfortable in. Leave a comment letting me know which one you prefer. They are all the same price ($135). Let me know what you think!

                                                     Dress #1

Dress #2

Dress #3

Dress #4

Dress #5

Dress #6

Moving Forward

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

We finally have a reception location! Yea! We lost the gallery in the Factory, but being on the other end of this loss I know that it was a God thing. My Aunt Sherry found a wonderful space in Marathon Village downtown. It has a beautiful view of the skyline of Nashville and the reception will be around the time of sunset. I think it will bring in some great light. We see this venue as a blessing from God.  

He has proven to be very faithful in providing for us during this whole wedding planning process. At the beginning of this whole process, I felt a lot of pressure for my wedding look a certain way and that there were certain expectations with my choices. After awhile, I just gave this time and day to God as it is a day he has created anyways. I  believe the results will be even more wonderful than if I had attempted to do it all myself. I can become a bit controlling when it comes to this sort of thing, especially if it is supposed to be a reflection on me. I think I have learned to let some things go and enjoy this planning time. Many people have said to me that they wish they had enjoyed the planning time more. I have taken that to heart. 

Some other things going on around here are Aaron is in the AIGA Emerge show at the new student gallery. It is a PSA motion graphics video he and his partner Grant made for their Creative Direction class last semester. The opening reception is on Saturday night and we are planning on attending the event. Should be a lot of fun. 

Aaron and I are also working on his documentary. I am producing the doc for him. (Basically taking care of the permits, insurance...paper work that is involved.) We will be filming it over spring break. I am super excited. It has been over a year since I have worked on something like this. 

This semester, Aaron and I decided to take a Jewelry class together. I had always wanted to take the class, but the time was what held me back, (Tuesday and Thursday 7:15-10pm) I am really glad that I did because I am loving it. We are just about finished with our first projects. I will post pictures soon. I love working with my hands and it brings a lot of gratification when you finish a project you have been working on for four weeks. 

I am more involved with the student art gallery that opened this past fall. Students are able to apply for a show and the students that run the gallery decide who they would like to show. This semester they made a class out of the group and I was able to finally get plugged in more with the gallery. I was so busy last semester that I did not have enough time needed to be dedicated. We are learning how to properly install works of art. We worked on a contract that will be used between the gallery and the artists so everyone knows what is expected. Next week we will be discussing show layout. I have really enjoyed the experience and I know that it will be useful in the near future. 

I am still working hard as the Business Manager at ROAR. We are currently looking for people to train to take over my position in the fall. All but two people on our executive staff are seniors and will be leaving after this year. Tonight we filmed and directed live an event that the Los Angeles Loyolan puts on every year called First Amendment Week. They have different speakers and events throughout a week discussing topics and current issues. Tonight the keynote speaker, Karl Rove, was on campus and spoke to LMU students. I was not able to hear him talk because of class. (I was able to see him when he came into the building) I have heard from my sources that there were a few "excited" people in the crowd. I know there were protesters outside the building before the event. I will not be able to see the footage until tomorrow. I cannot wait. 

The Wedding: Bridesmaid Dresses

Thursday, January 29, 2009

One of the things I thought would be the easiest to find and decide about were the Bridesmaid dresses. However, it has turned out to be a very long and difficult search. Here are a few I have found that I like the most. As always, I would love to know your thoughts. 

Dress 1

Dress 2

Dress 3

Dress 3 in Rosemary

Dress 3 close-up

Dress 4

Invitation Inspirations

Thursday, January 22, 2009

So, even though our invitations are designed (by Aaron!), I wanted to post the inspiration for the invitation. I think we were able to capture the best elements of the inspiration invitations and I am so very excited about how well our invitation came out!

I loved the monogram on this invitation. 

I liked the use of color and the design elements. 

                         

I liked the horizontal design of this invitation,

as well as the pattern used on the left.

                          

                                                  

I liked the look and feel of the handmade paper

and the design pressed into the paper at the bottom.

I liked the use of one bold graphic in the corner. 

The pattern used and the way in which the names

were incorporated into the design was appealing.

The "Arts and Crafts Movement" feel of 

this design made it feel vintage and the

simplicity was stunning.